1. Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) Overview
OBPP Overview – 15 minute
Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) Overview
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and Contact Information]
[Insert your name and contact information]
©2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.

2. Olweus Definition of Bullying
OBPP Overview – 15 minute
Olweus Definition of Bullying
Bullying is when someone repeatedly and on purpose says or does mean or hurtful things to another person who has a hard time defending himself or herself.
Dan Olweus
It’s important to begin with a common understanding of what bullying is—and what it isn’t.
Pioneering researcher Dr. Dan Olweus was one of the first people to study bullying. According to Dr. Olweus [READ SLIDE]
NOTE: Try to avoid using the terms bully and victim as much as possible when describing students. This helps avoid labels and focus on behavior. Be sure to encourage this practice in schools as well.
© Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.
©2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.

3. Bullying is peer abuse. Dan Olweus
OBPP Overview – 15 minute
Bullying is peer abuse Dan Olweus
Bullying is a form of victimization (or peer abuse) and shares some characteristics (repetition, power imbalance) with other forms of victimization: domestic violence and child maltreatment.
Reminder: Bullying isn’t a form of conflict, which implies two parties who are on more equal footing; responding to bullying as if it were conflict can be damaging as it may send inappropriate messages to student involved or re-victimize the student who was bullied.
© Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.
©2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.

4. Three Key Components of Bullying Behavior
OBPP Overview – 15 minute
Three Key Components of Bullying Behavior
Involves an aggressive behavior
Typically involves a pattern of behavior repeated over time
Involves an imbalance of power or strength
Bullying is characterized by 3 key components:
Bullying is a form of aggression.
Behavior is often repeated—though adults often are not aware of patterns until a serious event occurs. BUT DO NOT wait for a pattern before responding! Address all negative behavior immediately!
Unlike other forms of aggression, there is an imbalance of power or strength between a student who is bullying and a student who is being bullied.
Imbalance can be physical, but often is emotional or verbal and can be quite subtle.
Result: A student who is being bullied is likely to have a difficult time defending himself or herself physically, verbally, emotionally…
References: SWG, p. xii; TG, pp , SWG Doc. 1, pp. 3-5; SWG Video Pt. I & II.
© Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.
©2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.

5. Types of Bullying Direct Indirect hitting rumors taunting exclusion
OBPP Overview – 15 minute
Types of Bullying
Direct
hitting
taunting
name calling
Indirect
rumors
exclusion
cyberbullying
Adults are most familiar with direct bullying & are most apt to respond to it. Examples include (SLIDE), threats, and mean gestures. Most school discipline policies focus on direct forms of bullying.
Bullying can be more subtle, or indirect in nature. Examples include (SLIDE), gossip, and getting someone else to bully.
“Cyber-bullying” is a newer frontier for bullying--particularly difficult for schools to discover & address. More about that later.
“Relational bullying”—aka “relational aggression” or “social cruelty.” Can be indirect (e.g., gossip, exclusion, friendship manipulation) or direct. May combine direct & indirect (e.g., taunting a child to belittle him/her in front of peers).
(More about types of bullying in SWG Video Pt. II.)
© Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.
©2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.

6. Effects of Being Bullied
OBPP Overview – 15 minute
Effects of Being Bullied
Lower self-esteem
Depression and anxiety
Absenteeism and lowered academic achievement
Thoughts of suicide
Illness
Bullying may seriously affect: (1) psychosocial functioning, (2) academic work, (3) health of children who are targeted—effects can be both short and long-term (SLIDE)
Being bullied related to lower self-esteem, higher depression, loneliness, anxiety.
Bullied children are more likely to report wanting to avoid school, higher absenteeism rates (Rigby, 1996), perhaps leading to school drop out.
Report disliking school & received lower grades (Eisenberg et al., 2003).
Early peer exclusion (kindergarten) leads to decreased classroom participation, and in turn to lowered academic achievement in 5th grade (Buhs, et al., 2006).
Report more suicidal ideation than non-bullied peers. Though relatively rare, suicide has been linked to persistent bullying.
Suicidal ideation and depression appear more common among children experiencing indirect bullying (e.g., being ignored) than direct bullying (van der Wal et al., 2003).
Depression and low self-esteem can persist into adulthood.
Children who are bullied are more likely to develop physical ailments such as stomach pains, sleeping problems, headaches, tension, bedwetting, fatigue, and poor appetite.
© Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.
©2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.

7. Concerns about Children Who Bully
OBPP Overview – 15 minute
Concerns about Children Who Bully
Children who bully are more likely to:
Get into frequent fights
Be injured in a fight
Steal, vandalize property
Drink alcohol, smoke
Be truant, drop out of school
Report poorer academic achievement
Perceive a negative climate at school
Carry a weapon
There is also reason to be concerned about children who bully their peers. Researchers have found bullying behavior to be related to other antisocial, violent, or troubling behaviors. They are more likely than their non-bullying peers to [READ SLIDE]
Bullying may be a collection of “gateway behaviors”, that if not stopped, could become illegal anti-social behaviors in adulthood.
References: TG, p. 22; SWG Doc. 1, p. 14.
© Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.
©2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.

8. Effects of Bullying on Bystanders
OBPP Overview – 15 minute
Effects of Bullying on Bystanders
Bystanders may feel:
Afraid
Powerless to change the situation
Guilty for not acting
Diminished empathy for bullied students over time
Returning to the question Why focus on bullying? we’ve discussed:
How bullying affects children who are bullied
Concerns for children who bully
Why else be concerned? One other compelling reason is the effect that bullying may have on bystanders or witnesses to bullying, who make up a much larger proportion of students in a school.
Children who observe bullying going on around them may feel. . . [READ SLIDE]
NOTE: Reduced empathy can result in bystanders joining in/siding with the child who bullies, rather than intervening to help or support bullied students.
Reference: TG pp. xii–xiv.
© Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.
©2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.

9. Effects of Bullying on School Climate
OBPP Overview – 15 minute
Effects of Bullying on School Climate
Creates a climate of fear and disrespect
Interferes with student learning
Students may feel insecure and not like school as well
Students may perceive a lack of control/caring from adults
Bullying may also affect the climate of the entire school (or a segment of a school) if it is prevalent.
(SLIDE)
Reference: TG, p. xiv.
© Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.
©2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.

10. Percentage of Students Bullied 2-3 times/month or more
OBPP Overview – 15 minute
Percentage of Students Bullied 2-3 times/month or more
(Luxenberg et al., 2015)
17% of students were directly involved in bullying:
14% had been bullied
5% had bullied others
In a survey of 20,000 students (3rd-12th grade) using the OBQ, anonymous self-reports, (in schools that had not implemented OBPP), we found that:
17% of students indicated that they had been bullied and/or had bullied others 2-3 times a month or more often in the previous couple of months:
14% had been bullied
12% had been bullied but had not bullied others
2% had been bullied and also had bullied others
5% had bullied others
3% had bullied others but had not been bullied
2% had bullied others and also had been bullied Similar percentages of girls and boys said they had been bullied.
Luxenberg et al., 2015
© Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.
©2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.

11. Girls’ and Boys’ Experiences with Being Bullied
OBPP Overview – 15 minute
Girls’ and Boys’ Experiences with Being Bullied
2-3 times/month or more
(Luxenberg et al., 2015)
From this same database, we see a very steady decrease in grades 3-12 in girls’ and boys’ reports of being bullied. Similar decreases with age have been reported in other studies, such as the National Crime Victimization Survey involving 6th-12th graders
(Robers, Zhang, Morgan, & Musu-Gillette (2015).
Robers, S., Zhang, A., Morgan, R. E., & Musu-Gillette, L. (2015). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: Retrieved from: Q4
© Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.
©2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.

12. Girls’ and Boys’ Experiences with Bullying Others
OBPP Overview – 15 minute
Girls’ and Boys’ Experiences with Bullying Others
2-3 times/month or more
(Luxenberg et al., 2015)
A different grade pattern emerges when students are asked if they have bullied others. From the OBQ database, we observed that:
There are fairly steady rates of bullying others—for boys and girls between 3rd and 8th grade.
In high school, the percent of girls who bully declines a bit, but the percent of boys who bully increases.
Luxenberg et al., Q24
© Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.
©2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.

13. The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program
OBPP Overview – 15 minute
The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program
First systematic research on bullying conducted in early 1970s.
OBPP part of Norway’s national campaign against bullying in early 1980s.
The most-researched and best-known bullying prevention program available today.
Program developed by Dr. Dan Olweus, a researcher at the University of Bergen in Norway. Dr. Olweus is often referred to as the “father” of research on bullying. He conducted the first systematic research on bullying in the early 1970s.
OBPP was first introduced in 1983 as part of a nationwide campaign against bullying problems in Norway. The introduction of the program was motivated by concern about the suicides of three young boys in the northern part of Norway who had been bullied by their peers.
References: SWG pp. 4–5; TG pp. 4–5.
For an overview of the research and original program model, see Bullying at School by Dan Olweus (Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing, 1993).
© Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.
©2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.

14. Goals of OBPP To reduce existing bullying problems among students
OBPP Overview – 15 minute
Goals of OBPP
To reduce existing bullying problems among students
To prevent the development of new bullying problems
To achieve better peer relations at school
[READ SLIDE]
How are these goals met?
By restructuring the school environment so that both opportunities and rewards for bullying behavior are reduced.
References: SWG p. 1; TG p. 1; SWG Video Part I.
© Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.
©2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.

15. OBPP Overview – 15 minute
Program Components
Research shows bullying prevention needs to happen on multiple levels to be effective. The four Olweus Program components are based on this and consist of:
• a school-level component
• a classroom-level component
• an individual-level component (working with
individual students and their parents)
• a community-level component
Parents are very important for success of the Olweus program. They are involved at all four levels.
© Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.
©2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.

16. OBPP Training-Consultation Information
OBPP Overview – 15 minute
OBPP Training-Consultation Information
Training and consultation is essential for successful program implementation and fidelity
Training for Bullying Prevention Coordinating Committee (BPCC) is provided by a Certified OBPP Trainer-Consultant
Consultation is required for at least 12 months
BPCC Committee trains and supports staff every year for program sustainability
Training is essential for successful implementation and fidelity. A certified Olweus trainer can provide training for school committees as well as ongoing consultation.
A single trainer can train one or two school committees at one time. Two trainers can train three school committees at one time.
© Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.
©2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.

17. For more information about OBPP Training
OBPP Overview – 15 minute
For more information about OBPP Training
Safe and Humane Schools within Clemson University’s Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life
June Jenkins, Training-Consultation Coordinator
Jane Riese, Associate Director of Safe and Humane Schools
© Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.
©2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.

18. For more information about OBPP Materials
OBPP Overview – 15 minute
For more information about OBPP Materials
Hazelden Publishing
in the U.S.
outside the U.S.
© Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.
©2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.

19. Take-Home Message It is possible to reduce bullying.
OBPP Overview – 15 minute
Take-Home Message
It is possible to reduce bullying.
It requires a team effort.
It requires a long-term commitment.
© Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.
©2018 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S.